Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Campione Volume 1 - Heretic God
Campione Volume 1 - Heretic God
• Prologue
• Chapter 1 - Roman Holiday
◦ Part 1
◦ Part 2
◦ Part 3
• Chapter 2 - Duel with the Diavolo Rosso
◦ Part 1
◦ Part 2
◦ Part 3
◦ Part 4
• Chapter 3 – A Day in a Lord's Life
◦ Part 1
◦ Part 2
◦ Part 3
• Chapter 4 – Enemy from Afar
◦ Part 1
◦ Part 2
◦ Part 3
• Chapter 5 - The Deathblow from Knight and Lord
◦ Part 1
◦ Part 2
◦ Part 3
• Chapter 6 - Whirlwind in the Darkest Night
◦ Part 1
◦ Part 2
◦ Part 3
◦ Part 4
• Chapter 7 - Heretic God Athena
◦ Part 1
◦ Part 2
◦ Part 3
◦ Part 4
• Epilogue
• Afterword
• Translator's Notes and References
Prologue
[Excerpt from the Italian mage Alberto Ricardo's Book, Demon King, 19th Century]
......To those who accomplished this formidable feat, I grant them the title of Campione – Godslayer –.
Among all virtuous readers, some will probably believe that I over-exaggerate with that title and frown, while others will
think that I am making undue fuss over it.
However, I want to emphasize it, once again.
Campione – Godslayer – is the supreme ruler.
Since he can kill a celestial being, he can therefore call on the highly divine powers held by the gods.
Campione – Godslayer – is a lord.
Since the power to kill a deity is in their hands, they therefore have the power to dominate the mortals on Earth.
Campione – Godslayer – is a devil.
Therefore of the entire humanity living on earth, those who have the power to oppose them do not exist!
[Excerpt from the Letter of Cardinal Antonio Tebes, Addressed to the Vatican, Early 20th
Century]
For the purpose of going against Providence, playing with the demonic knowledge of mages, he received the title of King
from them.
Concerning the name that you were hearing more or less.
Campione – Godslayer – is Epimetheus's[1A 1] illegitimate child. The devil.
Unfortunately, we mortals cannot fight against them.
The ones who can fight against them, are his fellow Campiones, Our Heavenly Father's angels, and the taboo pagan
gods......
[Excerpt from Japanese Reports Concerning the Verification of the new Campione, Beginning
of the 21st Century]
In the Persian mythology, Verethragna[1A 2] was a god which had many complex attributes.
He was originally a follower of the chief god of the Indian mythology —— Mithra's[1A 3] war god, and after
Zoroastrianism[1A 4] began to worship him as a war god, he had been promoted as a divine guard.
And this god had the characteristics of having ten forms.
At the beginning, his form was one of an impetuous wind, but he can also have the form of a bull, a white horse, a camel,
a boar, an adolescent, a bird, a ram, a goat and a warrior with a golden sword.
Even if Verethragna continuously changed forms, he would still win, and brought victories to his worshipers —— to make
it simple. After his deification, he became the symbol of what he represented, victory.
It was after Kusanagi Godou killed the god of victory, that he became a young Campione.
"Listen, it would be very convenient if you could come to my side immediately. That's the situation, so prepare yourself to
take the first flight tomorrow morning. I'll welcome you at the airport."
That had been her opening line.
It was the end of May, on a weekend afternoon. He had received the call on Friday past 4pm.
"What the heck is with 'that's the situation' that you came up with? I have no obligations to be considerate of your
circumstances. Also, I have my own plans, so go find someone else."
What was she calling him for all of a sudden, that woman...
Godou replied coldly as he left school for home.
"'Because I really miss you' would be the obvious response, wouldn't it? You must also love me so much that you can't
bear it, so isn't this arrangement just great?"
"No, I don't particularly miss you. Stop it with those fabrications about my feelings... Anyway, the last time I saw you was
two weeks ago, not even half a month, and for two people respectively living in Tokyo and Milan, it's impossible to see
each other that frequently."
He complained with as much indifference as possible.
He was already used to that woman's outrageous behavior. But he couldn't allow himself to get caught up in her pace.
"Yes yes, it's only natural after not being able to meet for half a month, poor Godou. The time spent living apart from your
loved ones results in feelings of anxiety and worry, which is something I can sympathize with only too well.... Regarding
this matter, since I also have some ideas to improve the situation, please stay hopeful. So about tomorrow's plans——"
Without regard to others, Erica kept going on with the conversation.
As expected of a woman with eleven years of experience in self-centered behavior, she didn't care for my circumstances
at all.
"Don't say anymore, Erica, this is as far as this conversation goes. If you would care to explain everything clearly and
slowly, from beginning to end, I'll listen to you, but if you don't, I'll hang up right now."
"Just what I expect of you. You rejected the invitation even though it's from me. You are the only one who wouldn't take
the bait...... well, I haven't dated any guys yet, but I shouldn't be wrong."
Erica responded with her voice full of delight.
Godou couldn't help but frown, even though he knew what Erica was saying was on purpose.
Her attitude was as bad as ever...... despite knowing her demonic nature, the number of guys she had rejected had to be
pretty high.
"Then I am going to say it once more. Kusanagi Godou, I hope that you will immediately come to Italy. I need your help. It
will probably be difficult for me to settle this matter with my power alone, so please consider this earnestly. I, Erica
Blandelli, swear upon my honor that I have not lied to you."
She suddenly got serious about it.
Furthermore, she used her 'honor'. After swearing on that, she wouldn't lie no matter what. Because to Erica Blandelli, her
honor was more important than anything else.
——It can't be helped, sighed Godou.
Although Erica was indeed a capricious person, someone who wouldn't care about others' thoughts, someone who liked
to play around with people and had a demonic personality, she was still a benefactor who had saved his life many times.
Since she already said that much, he had no choice but to accept it.
"......I understand. I'll do as you say, so don't forget to pick me up."
"Your answer really makes me happy, may the Lord bless your chivalrous spirit."
"So what should I do? I think you already know, but I still want to reaffirm that I won't help you do any dubious dealings."
"Of course, you only need to maintain the behavior of a king, and fight as a king. As for the rest, you can have faith in
me......though; it's great that I don't need to rely on my trump card this time. I would feel bad after using it."
"Trump card?"
After hearing Erica say such dangerous words, Godou was surprised.
"You're right, since I think that you, Godou, have the obligation to accept all my requests, don't you agree?"
"Agree or not, don't be ridiculous, why would I accept all of your requests seeing as I am just a friend......"
"——although you have already......"
Erica whispered.
It was the whisper of a devil that couldn't help but enjoy toying around with humans. Godou reflexively wanted to escape.
"Although when you have already taken my purity, you fiend. Have you forgotten our passionate night back on Sicily?"
"Th-That was something the circumstances forced on us, just the result of both of our interests. It's not like I wanted to do
that......"
"Yes, that's right, desiring it from the bottom of my heart, I gave you my purity. And immediately afterwards, you suddenly
became so cold towards me...... you think that there wasn't a need to feed the fish after it was hooked, didn't you?"
Although she kept complaining, Erica sounded really cheerful.
You demon! Godou silently cursed her.
"Don't say things that can be taken the wrong way so easily, it'll look as if we had some secret relationship! If others hear
this, they'll surely misunderstand us!"
"But it is a secret relationship! Even afterwards, our lips met over and over again, our bodies on top of each other——"
"That's why I asked you to stop putting it so ambiguously!"
"Okay, answer me this: if I happen to tell your cute little sister about what happened between us, what do you think might
happen?"
Godou realized that he had already lost.
Even though what Erica said had been heavily embellished, it was all real. And Godou didn't want the talkative Shizuka to
know about it. If that happened, he'd be in deep.
At that moment, Erica was sure to be laughing near a distant sea of a foreign country.
Godou's thoughts formed a very clear image of a gorgeous girl making a self-confident smile of triumph.
"Y-You can't actually want to use this to blackmail me, can you?"
"Don't worry, if you show your sincerity, I certainly will not give your little sister any trouble. I swear upon my honor."
"Don't swear upon your honor for that! Aren't despicable affairs like blackmailing the complete opposite of honor?"
And just like that, his sudden trip to Italy came to be.
Godou, who returned home so he could prepare his luggage, opened the mailbox without hesitation.
......Indeed, a letter had come by airmail.
The sender was Erica Blandelli.
The letter contained an airplane ticket from Narita Airport to Rome.
This letter hadn't been posted normally. He could tell because there was no stamp on it.
If it wasn't Erica's dubious [Knights corps]'s Tokyo branch that had sent this secretly, it would have been sent in a more
abnormal way——it would have been something like [Magic], sent directly from Milan, Italy. There was no doubt about it.
"I didn't think that, I would have a near-death experience in that kind of place......"
This was a cafe which provided food and coffee, something that could be seen everywhere in this city.
Godou just came out from the car which had lost control, and was sitting on a vine chair in front of some random cafe,
tasting the particularly bitter espresso, while Anna was trying to find a place to park.
...Ten minutes before.
Anna-san was trying to use a clutch which she wasn't used to, while the car flew through the city's streets.
She said that if the accelerator wasn't pushed with strength, the car wouldn't work, so she started rolling at 80km/h with
the Mercedes-Benz, and was zigzagging in between the cars before her (s-sometimes, they were cars heading in the
opposite direction), until it became impossible to turn as we arrived on a congested road. As we headed into a river, Anna
pressed an emergency brake, and it ended up like that.
"......Anna-san, please park the car in a nearby parking spot first; I want to rest a bit near here."
Godou said that with a tone that brooked no questions.
Leaving his own life in the hands of a rookie driver who cannot tell the difference between a manual and an automatic car
was far too dangerous. What made it even scarier was the fact that the driver herself had no idea of the very thin line
separating her from death.
"Eh? I thought that I should first have Godou-san visit Rome——"
"It's OK, I am already tired! I want to rest a bit!"
That was what happened.
Godou, after watching the car accelerate and move farther, entered a café and said to the Roman auntie there that he
wanted an espresso.
"......Anna-san, though she looks normal from her looks, is actually someone really stupid? Just then, I almost died."
At the beginning, Godou didn't care a lot about fortune.
But through these recent times, he started to change his mind.
He thought that he was someone who is, perhaps, really unlucky......
He never thought of himself as unlucky before. But in these past six months, the number of times he escaped death kept
increasing, and he couldn't help but begin to understand those who believed in fortune.
After drinking that espresso, he felt a deeply hostile feeling.
As Godou put the glass back on the table, his eyes met with a young girl in the crowd.
The two of them looked at each other.
——Shit.
That young girl wasn't an ordinary human, and the sensation just then made him feel really bad.
Even though his body was tired from the jet lag, which left him fatigued yet relaxed, he had recovered his senses in an
instant, while jitters filled him from his body to the extremity of his fingers.
When he came in contact with an enemy like her, his body naturally entered into fighting mode.
".................."
The young girl also stopped walking, and examined Godou's face; could she also see Godou as an enemy?
She was a really beautiful girl.
She was around thirteen or fourteen, and at her age, she looks like a charming and delicate little angel.
But that wasn't surprising. They were all not only beautiful, but possessed extraordinary bodies. Every one of them stood
out.
"......I heard that there is a godslayer who calls himself a knight, and that man has cut many things with his magic
sword......is that man you?"
Before he knew it——
The young girl of a different existence had already come near him.
She had silver hair that fell on her shoulder like a moon emitting slight rays of light, and pupils as black as the deep night.
"No, the man you are talking about is injured, and has gone to the southern islands to heal himself, using the excuse of
going on a vacation."
The one who injured him was Godou. However, he didn't plan on showing that one off.
"......is that so? Then you too, are a traveler."
As if her night-colored black pupils condensed, she quietly stared at Godou.
"What are you planning to do? Now, my only objective is to retrieve the [Snake], so I don't have any intention to fight.
However, if you do plan on fighting, then I'll put all my efforts, and the one who loses will become the other one's servant."
"I don't know what the [Snake] is, so I don't plan on fighting either. If it's possible, I wish to maintain our relationship, I don't
feel like fighting you guys."
"I understand. I'll leave quickly, but godslayer, you are lying."
"Lying?"
"Indeed, there isn't a godslayer who doesn't hold any interest in fighting me, so you're a liar."
After saying those words, the silver-haired girl left Godou.
Fuu, sighed Godou.
Luckily, it didn't end up in a fight. But even if she was a god, to call someone a liar whenever she wished was really rude.
As he was thinking that, a black-haired girl rushed to his side.
"I'm sorry, Godou-san, letting you wait so long."
That person was Anna. As she walked towards the table, Godou asked her.
"Can I borrow your cellphone? I need to contact Erica."
"It's fine, but maybe the meeting hasn't finished yet?"
After saying that, Anna lent her cellphone to Godou.
"Arianna, what is it?"
After calling her numerous times, the other side finally took the phone. It was Erica's voice, which he hasn’t heard since
yesterday.
"It's me. I need to ask you something."
"So you have arrived, how is it? Do you get along with Arianna?"
"Concerning that, I have many things to complain about, but let's talk about this later. Is it because I need to fight a god
that you called me here?"
"About that, I'm still not sure, though the possibility is high......is it possible that you encountered one?"
"Indeed, just now, there was a goddess."
"Is that so......then we need to move quickly. Let's meet up now. We need to prepare ourselves for the fight tonight——"
"......What did you say?"
Godou just heard some words that he couldn't ignore, and asked again.
"I said that, tonight, you will fight me......I think you know even without me telling you that it cannot be cancelled, so
prepare yourself."
"What are the reasons that made you take that decision......"
Fate was like rolling dice; there was always something new happening (even if he didn't want that). Just then, Godou
finally felt that his own fate wasn't normal.
—————
One sings, the carol of the trinity goddess. Connecting skies, earth with darkness, reincarnation with wisdom.
One sings, the melody of the demoted goddess. Born as queen yet seen as snake of forbiddance, to the queen's
grievance.
One sings, the ballad of the traumatized goddess. Disgraced by the esteemed father, fell to humiliation as the mother.
One named Athena, daughter of Zeus, patron of Athens, maiden of eternity.
Past, is the nurturing earth mother of all things!
Past, is the dark mistress of the underworld!
Past, is the spreading of heavenly wisdom from the enlightened goddess!
One pledges, Athena shall soon return to the Athena of origin!
Divine songs weaved forth from the mouth of Athena.
Like hymn, like prayer, like praise.
With the chant's continuation, Athena's figure began to change.
Her height increased, her limbs lengthened, and the looks of a delicate girl gave away to a lady of divine excellence.
The immaturity vanished from her features.
From appearances alone, she looked like she was seventeen or eighteen, her modern clothes having transformed to
white robes of antiquity.
"Defiant... Athena—!"
Seeing Athena at such a close range, Yuri's instincts realized Athena's nature.
Here was the descendant of mother earth.
Here was the dominating leader of death and gloom.
Here was the forlorn goddess of the skies, the earth, and the darkness.
Even so, she must still be resisted, because this street was not owned by the gods, but built by the people, as a city for
humankind.
"Athena! Please stop joking. You still have an opponent here!"
Yuri ignored her trembling body, frightened by the prospect of challenging a god, and shouted with all her strength.
"O miko, thy words amusest me. Speakest his name, for one may think the same."
"The one to fight you is the personification of godslaying, one recognized as a king of mages—Kusanagi Godou! Until you
defeat him, please stop abusing your powers and causing trouble as you please!"
Facing the amused Athena, Yuri suppressed her fear to answer.
Yuri had received the special education of a hime-miko since childhood, so she understood divine might more than
anyone. Despite this, she continued on without holding back:
—No.
Her trembling wasn't caused by fear.
Yuri realized that her temperature was dropping, because she stood near the Athena who now had the Gorgonieon.
Affected by the chill of the underworld that spread from the goddess, Yuri's body was nearing its death.
"Ah... truly apologetic; although one retrieved the strength of antiquity, full control has yet to be regained."
Athena's voice contained her amusement.
Compared to earlier, the spiritual power held within her words were immeasurably stronger.
"Yet, this baptism by death's breath, thou receivest not alone. Kusanagi Godou has already experienced. If he can escape
the abyss of death to stand before one, one may yet grant thy wish—"
"If that's so, then there's no problem. That person is still alive. For my sake—definitely, to protect me, he will definitely
arrive soon! Just watch!"
Her legs were trembling so much that even standing was difficult.
Yet Yuri continued to stand with all her strength.
She hadn't received a response from Kusanagi-san; she only told him to hurry here before hanging up the call.
Plus, she didn't know if his power could actually be used.
If it could, Godou Kusanagi would fly here. If not, she would hopelessly die here.
Just which was it? Should she trust him? Should she not?
Casting aside all confusion, Yuri shouted with all her strength:
"Kusanagi-san! Kusanagi Godou! Come! Athena and I are here! Hurry up—your strength is needed now. Hurry!"
The wind began to blow.
The gentle night breeze quickly rose to a mild wind, then grew to a powerful whirlwind.
Athena was stunned.
Within the whirlwind stood the figure that caused her expression.
—Kusanagi Godou
Kusanagi Godou had arrived with the wind.
Her sight had connected with his sharp eyes.
As Yuri saw the devil king that was her age, she collapsed onto the ground as her knees gave out below her.
The most surprising thing was, Yuri wasn't nervous at all.
No matter how immature he was, no matter how troublesome he was, he would accomplish what he had to do.
Protect those weaker than him, rescue his friends from danger—without such a will, it would be impossible for a normal
person to receive the Campione title.
Godou would definitely come.
That was what her intuition had told her, and she calmly nodded towards Godou with her trust.
Part 4
Before this, Godou had been at the West Kasai station.
Athena sought the Gorgoneion, so she should be moving towards the Nanao Shrine, thus he rode Anna's crazy car once
again, hoping to return to Tokyo in haste the entire time. But...
Kasai area had already fallen under Athena's influence.
"I sleep for just a bit and this happens, such a troublesome goddess."
Godou complained.
Within this district consumed by darkness, lighting equipment and cars were unusable.
As they arrived on the edge of Kasai, Anna sharply stopped her hellishly fast car. Although he had been lucky to stay
alive, he must still press on.
Vehicles lined up around them, every one of them disabled; they were no different than steel boxes with wheels.
"Eh, regarding the relationship between owls and Athena... because they were birds of wisdom, so they became the
messengers for the goddess of wisdom... right?"
A tiny shadow flew past just as Godou looked out the window.
Since he had very good night vision, he knew it was an owl.
Most Japanese had only seen those birds on illustrations or on TV, so these were probably summoned by the silver-haired
goddess.
Athena seemed to have the alias of 'Brilliant Goddess'.
Meaning 'one whose eyes sparkled with light'.
But Godou had finally realized that this alias really meant 'one who possessed the eyes of an owl'.
"That's not all. The nocturnal owls were seen by people of ancient times as the embodiment of the death gods, who
traveled from the underworld to the real world. So of course they would also become the servants of Athena, who had
once been a god of the netherworld."
Erica responded smoothly.
...So that was how it is. Godou's felt like an examinee who only knew half the answer.
"You can't defeat Athena if you don't even know something of this level. We've been rushing so much that I didn't get to
teach you much this entire time."
"N-no, that's alright; the current situation is way too disastrous."
Godou hastily separated himself from the disgruntled Erica.
Thanks to his partner, Godou at least learned quite a bit of knowledge regarding Athena.
The information passed into his mind through [Endowment] will eventually disappear, but it should at least stay for one
day, so there were no immediate problems.
The problem was that the information wasn't complete.
It was probably enough to summon the [Warrior] form, but not completely, and there was no way to bring [Sword] to its full
potential.
Because the car was shaking violently, it had been impossible for him to concentrate on the learning.
"Anyhow, Anna-san, I'll get off here, thank you very much."
Godou thanked her as he opened the rear door and got out.
He would get to Nanao Shrine even if he had to walk there; it was better than shuffling about here.
"Alright, I wish you good luck. Godou-san, please return safely. If you do, I'll make delicious meals for you again!"
"I can't wait already; I'll have to trouble you then."
Anna bid goodbye to Godou with a smile. She really was a lady that served knights.
Even at a moment like this, there were no tears in her eyes, only hearty smiles as she made promises for next time.
"...I'll say this now, if you wish to eat Arianna's personally cooked meals, you have to go alone; I won't be tagging along."
Erica said after following Godou out of the car and moving to stand beside him, with an expression that claimed her
response is to be expected.
Her serious tone made Godou's feelings waver.
"That's to say, you once said that she couldn't stew vegetables; is it really that bad?"
"No, Arianna's cooking is very good, but if you let her make pot stew then it'll be dangerous, guaranteed to give you an
unprecedented feeling of peril. Since it would be a meal to celebrate your victorious return, of course it would be a hot pot
stew[1G 11]."
Erica, who was afraid of neither gods nor devils, was this cautious in regards to Anna's meals.
It must be really serious.
But, rather than worrying about a meal in the future, they should be worrying over the situation right now. Erica and Godou
continued to walk, neither of them bothered by the darkness.
"...Anyhow, seems like Athena had already started doing whatever she wants."
"Maybe it's because she already won once, so she no longer feels the need to guard herself against you."
They walked down the pitch black streets one step at a time; this was going to be a boring journey.
—Or not.
As Erica moved closer to Godou, he changed his mind. With this person around, it was impossible to be bored.
"To stop Athena's brutality, we should make more preparations for the [Warrior]. So let's get back to what we were doing."
"No need! This is already enough. You see, I'm not going to fight, I'm just going to negotiate for her to leave, so I only
need enough to make her wary of me."
"You're far too naive. You think Athena will care about any weapon that couldn't kill her?"
"If you really believe that, then tell me some more about Athena."
"No, too bothersome. Godou, why don't you just say that you want my lips; do it passionately, let my heart flutter. Come
on, hurry~~"
"There's no way I can say something so embarrassing! If our foe wants to bring trouble to these streets, we could use
[White Stallion], we can do something either way!"
Earlier, Godou could vaguely feel the direction towards [East].
It was an instinctive feel, like that of migratory birds.
This made it possible to use Verethragna's third incarnation. But even though he could, it wasn't a power he wanted to
use, since it was an overwhelmingly powerful technique.
Therefore Godou was able to calmly reject Erica's tempting jokes.
Even though it was better to have more armaments, it couldn't be helped. That preparatory method was far too
exhilarating in Kusanagi Godou's opinion, and could only be used with considerable emotional readiness.
—The two of them continued to talk as they walked.
As they arrived at the West Kasai station, they realized that the place was even more rowdy than usual.
There were far more people than any other place here.
Since the metro stopped, many people were stuck and couldn't settle down.
Since nobody knew how the power cut, the East-West line and the Sobu line were both temporarily stopped, while station
workers and security tried to explain the situation using their microphones.
People in the middle of their way home gathered about, anxiously listening for an explanation.
"Power outage; that excuse is stretching it."
"Forget it, at least radios and phones still work, but how are they going to explain this if this happened in Italy or Europe?"
Erica and Godou chatted as they watched the gathering crowds.
Gods who descended and revealed themselves always brought odd phenomenons about. To normal people who knew
nothing of mages, this was nothing less than a disaster.
"They could claim it's a tornado, earthquake, or viral outbreak, and warn everyone to stay inside. But regardless of the
explanation, people will always sense that something was abnormal, even after they calm down."
"Sense?"
"Europe—especially Southern Europe, Eastern Europe, and England, are all places where magic is widespread, and
could be considered the homeland of the devil kings. If a [Heretic God] or godslayer appeared, it would be known quickly,
because there would be tons of unusual events."
Even in Europe, mages wouldn't dare expose such events openly.
But most cities had secret organizations similar to Erica's [Copper Black Cross], and most people connected to magic had
an organization they belonged to.
There were many people within the cities who knew of how to connect with these organizations.
Erica said that they would spread their knowledge on how to recognize other mages, as well as their fear of gods and
godslayers, through the cities as rumors and folklore.
"But won't Tokyo become like Europe in the future? After all, Godou was here, and now even a [Heretic God] has come."
"I don't want the people of Tokyo to become aware of such things."
Godou replied nonchalantly as he wondered if there was a shortcut to Nanao Shrine.
Without any other means of mobility, he could only rely upon Verethragna's power.
"...Of course the best method is to use [Wind] power, but I still don't completely understand it, so I'd rather not use it."
Verethragna was a god of victory, yet also a god that dominated over kings.
Under the widespread worship of Parthian and Sassanid Empires[1G 12] in ancient Persia, Verethragna had become a
patron saint of the people. Yet the incarnation that most represented Verethragna was [Wind].
Transforming into a gust of wind to protect the people—especially travelers.
It was said that ancient Persians would often recite the prayers of Verethragna to pray for a safe journey, or place small
figures of him on the streets for protection.
"Can someone call upon you by using the power of [Wind]?"
"I think only Mariya-san can, although I don't want to give her any trouble. What should I do...!?"
Just as he answered Erica, Godou's cell phone began to ring.
"Eh?"
[It's me, Mariya. Kusanagi-san? Where are you right now!?]
Just as he spoke of Mariya, the actual person called him.
After reporting his status, he wanted to see if he could obtain Mariya's help, yet she unexpectedly agreed.
Even though he was relying on Mariya, he could only accept success from himself right now. Failure was unacceptable,
and the responsibility was heavy.
"Was the call from that woman?"
Erica asked Godou who was looking glum.
"Don't say 'that woman'; her name is Mariya Yuri, say her name properly."
"I know I know... her name should be Bait. I never thought that girl would have so much courage."
"You say it's courage, but I think it's more like her sense of responsibility... I regret it now. I really shouldn't have said
anything. If she dies in vain like this, I'll have to carry a cross on my back for the rest of my life."
I could imagine Mariya Yuri sighing deeply while taking it upon herself when no one else was in the position to play such a
potentially disastrous role.
It was because she was a very serious girl with a strong sense of responsibility.
Although they had only met for a short time, he had a very clear understanding of this fact.
"Hey, Godou, I guess I should take this opportunity to tell you something. Despite how I look, I'm a very generous and
open-minded girl."
"What? I really don't have time for chitchats right now."
"I'm just offering you my generosity. Although I'm your lover, I could still turn a blind eye if you want a second lover. You're
still young, so it's not surprising for you to be attracted to other girls."
Erica spoke these strange words.
Just what was she talking about?
"Wait a second. I don't even have a wife... could you speak frankly?"
"Then I'll be blunt, you should try to make that Mariya girl your second lover. She really is a rare talent, has a compatible
personality with you, not to mention plenty of courage. You should spend some time developing her, you know?"
"...What?"
Godou froze as he stared at Erica.
The blond devil was advising him with a completely serious face.
"It's rare to find such a powerful spiritual seer... later on, if we have to fight a god whose origin we don't know, that girl's
spiritual sight would be able to read the god's various divine attributes. She's a gifted individual that would make your
[Sword] even more effective, so make sure you don't lose her."
"Don't joke about something like that! How can I ask Mariya to do that kind of thing!"
"I'm serious, otherwise who would make this kind of stale joke? Ah, I'll state up front, she can only be your second lover at
most. No matter when it is or who it is, your number one lover should always be me—Erica Blandelli, remember? If you
forget, I won't forgive you."
Erica nagged on as she held onto Godou's hand.
I didn't know why, but my feelings felt like they were just captured by a pair of cuffs.
"If you forget... I think I will definitely kill you, so never ever forget that. I may be generous, but I am not patient."
Erica said as she smiled softly.
Unlike her usual devilish grin, her smile was completely innocent.
Godou found this cute smile deathly terrifying; it was so innocent that it only made him feel like he would truly be in mortal
peril.
"Eh, wait up. Haven't you already attacked me seriously before!"
"That was merely a game. If I really hate you, I'll definitely seize just the right moment to kill you. There will be no escape,
followed by a single sure-kill strike. Simple, isn't it?"
Erica moved even closer as she continued to speak.
Godou hurriedly pushed Erica aside, an act of immaturity as his fear overcame his conscience.
"D-don't say stupid things and leave me; I'm going to use the [Wind] power now. Since I'm still unfamiliar with this
incarnation, I need to concentrate."
Godou sat down on the nearby railing.
He closed his eyes and focused his thoughts.
He must make his ears more sensitive than ever, not to miss a single sound from the distance.
A middle-aged man complained angrily about the metro being stopped.
A small child was crying.
The people nearby were comforting him.
A person was whining to the police about a completely unrelated matter.
—Godou ignored these voices. What he needed to hear weren't these sounds, but a voice from far away, the voice of
someone he must protect.
How can I let such a serious and nice person die? I must save her, I must hear the sound of her call.
What I needed the most now was concentration. The greatest concentration, to leave not a single voice unheard.
I must succeed.
He had never lost to a single person since he started playing baseball.
There were plenty who were much better at batting, and just as many who were better at scoring homeruns; but he was
usually the 4th batter, the one who would win the game.
Step up to the plate when it's your time to bat.
To make the impossible possible, to focus all concentration forward even when facing insurmountable hardship...
"Kusanagi-san! Kusanagi Godou! Come! Athena and I are here! Hurry up—your strength is needed now. Hurry!"
Godou finally caught the voice as it flew across.
The shout that originated from far away.
He stood up from the ground. All conditions had been cleared.
Verethragna's first incarnation, [Wind].
Legends said the war god had appeared as a body of fierce winds before the Prophet Zarathustra[1G 13] and spoke to
him: thou art strongest, thou leadest an invincible army of the battlefield, capable of destroying any human or demon who
dare show hostility.
"Let's go, Erica! Hold on tight!"
Godou called his partner over as he transformed into the embodiment of the [Wind]
Tornado-like winds coiled beneath his feet.
Catching onto Erica's hand as she leaped over, the two soared into the air.
"—Thou art alive still, no, thou hast finally awakened, Kusanagi Godou, with true power to behold! Now worthy of being
one's hated foe! With the unspeakable title of the devil king!"
He could hear Athena's prayer-like voice again, only a few hours since the last time he did.
As the winds dispersed, Godou and Erica found themselves standing on an unfamiliar road.
In front of them was an unusually thin Yuri and a silver-haired girl.
...[Heretic God] Athena
Godou recognized with but one glance that facing him was the Athena who had retrieved the Gorgoneion.
Chapter 7
Heretic God Athena
Part 1
Although Godou's night vision wasn't bad, it was nowhere as clear as his daytime sight.
But Godou immediately noticed Yuri's unnatural countenance.
"Mariya-san, are you alright? What did Athena do to you?"
"It's not that she did anything to me...... when Athena retrieved the Gorgonieon, I was nearby, so I received some
influence. Please be careful, Athena isn't the same as before......."
Yuri coughed nonstop.
Her coughing was really bad; it was worrisome just to watch.
Godou ran over and gently stroked her back, but it didn't seem to help at all.
"Ah, allow one to tell thee, the miko was nearby when one was reborn, thus she received much spirit of death from one. If
left untreated, she will die, as thee didst."
Athena looked at Yuri like she had nothing to do with her as she spoke in an uncaring tone.
Her actions irritated Godou.
The opponent was a god.
Even though she looked human, but her mentality and ethics were completely different. Godou understood long ago not to
use human values to compare with them.
"......Erica, can you heal this affliction?"
"No, I'm not that all-capable, use the [Sword]. With that, you should be able to cut Athena's curse."
After asking Erica who stood behind him, her answer made it completely clear.
Godou put his hands on Yuri's shoulders.
So thin.
Although Erica was also short and slim, she was a high-class knight who hid strength indiscernible to conventional
senses.
But Yuri seemed like a girl that was every bit as frail as she appeared. Other than her abilities as a hime-miko, she was
just a normal girl; yet to make her shoulder such a heavy burden, it was natural for him to be angry at himself and Athena.
"Kusanagi-san, what are you planning to do?"
Godou patted Yuri's shoulders to relieve the distress in her eyes a bit.
Imagining the flashing gold sword, he began to chant.
"Heed the power of my words, let justice reveal itself, under the strength and eloquence of this incantation, for strength is
ever victorious, for strength is the answer to all things."
The spell words of the sword.
With a single swing of the golden sword, the divine power of Athena that invaded Yuri was severed. Now they no longer
had to worry.
"Eh?"
The goddess who has been watching them with bored eyes suddenly frowned.
Godou stared at her pleasant appearance and firmly said:
"Oy, I'll confirm it one last time; if you can just leave obediently, I can let you go. How about it, do you plan to do so?"
"Speak not such disappointment, one just retrieved the ancient power of the trinity, accompany one in this game at least."
He didn't think that Athena would say something that a child in tantrum would.
Looking down upon humans to such extremes.
At this point Godou had already decided. 'Fine, then I shall keep you company.'
"O one does not understand, but thou seemest angry. How about this, Kusanagi Godou? Allow one to be pleased for
once? One has surpassed thy once prior, this time we shall compete by martial strength."
After casually almost killing Yuri, now she was challenging him as though facing a toy.
To Athena, mortal lives were like the ants under her feet, whether they lived or died was none of her concern.
"Kusanagi-san......"
Taking note of Yuri's weak voice, Godou strengthened the hand that was holding her shoulders.
Because of him, she had gone through so much trouble. The debt he owed her, he would take it from Athena with interest.
"Relax and rest, Mariya-san, allow me to take care of that goddess."
"Alright...... sorry, I had underestimated Kusanagi-san. I had always thought that even though you were a godslayer, you
were an unreliable and flippant person—"
"No, you're absolutely right, you aren't wrong at all."
"No."
With an emerging smile, Yuri shook her head.
It was the first time Godou saw her gentle smile.
Like the blooming cherry blossoms, it was a very lovable expression, and Godou's heart couldn't help but skip a beat.
"When I met danger, you really did rush here. Of course, this destructive god was also called here by you, but your
willingness to come take care of the mess yourself, made me change my opinion of you...... really."
".......Saying it like that, it's not very convincing that your views changed any."
"Really? Then, I'll praise you with even nicer words later; but please use your full power now. Alright?"
Towards the gently smiling Yuri, Godou stood up.
Then he told Erica, who was behind him:
"I'll leave Mariya-san to you. On your honor, protect this girl well."
"Your wish is my command, my liege—finally putting aside that stubborn fake pacifism of yours."
Erica responded after realizing his thoughts.
As expected of the [Diavolo Rosso]; if Kusanagi Godou was the king of the chessboard, then she was either the
unstoppable knight or the queen.
"Don't add 'fake' to it, I'm really a pacifist, but I'm not going to sit here quietly while one of my comrades gets hurt. I only
want to defeat Athena right now and take back everything she owes Mariya-san."
"That's my Godou, and this is my blessing for your victory."
Suddenly, Erica walked up to him.
Taking Godou's face with both of her hands, she brought her lips to his; although it was short, it was a passionate and
deep kiss.
—Knowledge about Athena flowed in.
Regarding the goddess of war and wisdom, he now grasped her connections with snakes, owls, and mother Earth. In this
moment, the [Sword] that slept within Godou had reached full potential.
"I'll pray for your victory, so go defeat the Heretic God Athena!"
'Why do you suddenly do things like this!'
Although he wanted to complain, Godou's face unconsciously revealed a grim smile.
It really was the best gift he could wish for.
Now he could use one hundred percent of his full strength to fight Athena. After all, she claimed to be the strongest
goddess across all of Europe, Africa, and the Middle-East!
The calm Godou yelled towards Athena:
"I accept your conditions! I will deport you from this country by force. Once you lose to me, run and flee for your life!"
"Very good! We shall see who is stronger, godslayer!"
Athena roared back in delight, then waved forth her arm.
Dozens of owls flew forth from the darkness in a flash.
Furthermore, dozens of snakes also slithered towards him.
As birds of prey, the owls were armed with sharp talons and beaks, and each snake was at least five, six meters long in
size, obviously poisonous given their colorful scales.
—He had to change to a different dueling ground.
Quickly realizing this, Godou began to run to open his distance with Athena.
The faint smell of seawater.
The prominent buildings surrounding them.
Thanks to them, he roughly knew where he was.
On the map within his mind, he managed to find a good location and began to run towards it as his goal.
The hordes of snakes and birds that closely pursued him changed their direction as well, and even the goddess herself
followed in her strolling pace.
"You did great, Mariya Yuri. Thanks to you, that idiot man would finally fight seriously."
Erica, who stayed behind, smiled lightly towards the girl wearing miko clothes.
She took off her red coat and put it around the other's shoulders.
But Yuri wasn't that calm as she stared at Erica with a disturbed expression.
"W-what did you just do? Such a shameful, dirty......"
The serene expression she showed to Godou suddenly switched to one of anger.
She complained indignantly over what just happened.
Unable to understand why Yuri was unhappy, Erica tilted her head.
"What's dirty?"
"Obviously that! that... ki... eh, when you bid goodbye to Kusanagi-san, you did something immoral, something that
definitely shouldn't be done in front of others!"
"You meant that kiss? Well, I wanted to continue it a bit longer, but it couldn't be helped; there wasn't enough time, and I
haven't seen Godou so serious for such a long time."
Erica mistook Yuri's intentions and gave an irrelevant response.
"Just watch, when Godou is like that, he won't care about what methods he uses. He'll use every idea to achieve victory;
he'll definitely defeat Athena."
Unable to understand the angry Yuri, Erica continued to smile towards her.
In the end, when it came to physical ability, the basics still fell to running.
Running from the pursuit of the owl and snake corps, Godou's mind continued to plan.
Although he has experienced many times of crisis, but compared to the authorities of Verethragna, his most familiar
weapons were his own two legs.
Whether it was fighting or escaping, there was no way he could start without running first.
Convinced of this, he continued to run every day even after he stopped playing baseball.
He didn't want to put it like this, but he also had no choice except to exercise diligently, since he kept getting mixed up in
these troublesome incidents. Truthfully, if it wasn't for his daily workout, there was no way he could keep running this long.
—Even so.
He didn't have the superhuman footwork it took to escape from the owls that charged him from the air, as well as the
snakes that moved in like lightning.
Not to mention that the enemy's numbers increased before he even noticed it.
It was unknown where the owls and snakes kept coming from, but their numbers had already risen above a hundred.
"All evil things fear me! Unjust beings of power cannot defeat me! —for I am strongest, able to break all barriers!"
As Godou chanted his spell words, a golden radiance flashed past.
Since it came to this, he just had to sever the heads from the bodies of Athena's horde of servants, forcing them to return
to dust.
They shouldn't be normal creatures, so they didn't leave any remains.
"Heh...... thou didst hide a wonderful weapon, not only to slash but also to cleave—it must be a sword. Spell words of a
sword, thou dost hath taste."
Athena's relaxed voice came from behind them.
So it seemed like she had immediately realized the difficulty posed by the sword.
"Then, one shall play such with thee—though one's power cannot be fully display in this concrete forest, it is more than
enough to match such tricks, take this!"
"......What the!!"
Godou was aghast with shock as he suddenly turned around.
Under Athena's feet—
The once hard concrete pavement had formed a massive wave, with the goddess standing upon it; the crest of the wave
was gradually become scythe-like.
The cold solidified material once mixed from sand and stone now stood high like a snake head peering down.
Just as he noticed it, the concrete snake had finished its construction after only a few dozen seconds.
Its length was around twenty, thirty meters.
The elegant, silver-haired Athena stood straight atop the snake head.
Was that also divine power, or did she simply have an unparalleled sense of balance? Even on such an unstable position,
she continued to look gracefully down upon the ground.
"Rise, my talons. Crush the godslayer into paste!"
The snake head Athena stood on was significantly taller than even the viaduct of the Capital Expressway.
"Damn it! What a mess this is!"
The roads that had produced the giant serpent had been completely ravaged by Athena's divine power.
The concrete had been uprooted like water pumped from a river, leaving only a massive ditch behind.
To restore the road's ability to handle vehicles again would require untold amounts of time and money.
Godou grumbled as he continued to run.
Almost there.
They were almost at a completely uninhabited location.
There were still some apartments and hotels nearby, so if they were to fight here, he had to be careful not to trash the
surroundings.
Once past Shiodome District, there was a dense forest of giant trees—although it wasn't a scene that belonged in a city,
he could see green forests on his right-hand side.
That was Godou's destination.
—Hamarikyu Gardens[1H 1].
Since its park hours were long over, there would obviously be no one there. Within such a large park, even if he went all
out against Athena, it still shouldn't affect anyone else.
Furthermore, the walls in this place were low in height.
Dexterous people could easily leap over the walls.
Climbing over the barricade that was used to block the road at the rear gate, Godou caught onto the low wall and
successfully made his illegal entry.
He watched the gargantuan snake chasing after him from atop the wall.
The massive snake continued to close in, crushing vehicles parked by the roadside, electrical wire poles, and sidewalk
fences.
After revealing his location, Godou went inside the park.
Part 2
Hamarikyu Gardens was on the edge of Tokyo Bay.
The water inside the gardens was drawn from the sea.
With Tsukiji District[1H 2] as neighbor, it also had a fish market and a produce market nearby.
Following the outer wall, Godou continued to run quickly within the park's dense woods.
He was surrounded by trees, some over a hundred years old, with the smell of earth and greenery all around him. But it
was a man-made park after all, and after merely five minutes of running, he had already left the woods.
The pool was filled with seawater.
Godou had arrived at a very spacious plaza.
He quietly waited there for Athena's arrival.
He had already understood all the information about the goddess. But if he could defeat her with knowledge alone, then
he wouldn't need to push himself so hard. More importantly, he needed to grasp his opponent's character and the
surrounding environment.
To seize the opportunity for victory, then press forth to defeat the enemy.
When Godou still played baseball, he was hailed as a catcher with courageous leadership and daring, while at the plate
he was known as a slugger who could calmly analyze the situation and correctly pick the timing to bat.
To carefully watch the enemy, adapting as opportunity calls. This was already habitual to him.
Victory or defeat all depended on one's ability to adapt and adjust.
No matter how thorough the battle plan, victory cannot be assured.
No matter how great the power, victory cannot be assured.
It wasn't the strong or righteous that would achieve victory, but the victorious that would be declared strong and righteous.
Maybe this belief was the greatest reason why Godou became MVP numerous times.
"Thy choice is this battlefield, a shabby park. Humans do love such insignificant ploys, those of this island verily so. One
hath visited many nations, but rarely meet people who cover so much earth with stones, to deny the darkness to such
extent."
Moving over the rocks, the snake and Athena finally caught up.
It presented itself after tearing through the walls, which fell like paper under its greater height, and crushing the trees
under its body.
"Please take your critique of other civilizations somewhere else. If you like living a carefree life, hurry back to the depth of
Europe's mountains. I like to read at night so I want light; to regularly supply vegetables we need pesticide. I don't have
time to accompany your worshipfulness in being selfish."
"Such is the arrogance of man. To awake at dawn, to sleep at night, to be blessed by the earth for abundant harvest, to
enjoy the luxury of life, at last to die by starvation and enter one's underworld gates. One does believe this to be best?"
"As expected of a goddess amongst goddesses...... worse than even Marie Antoinette."[1H 3]
Talk about preaching fallacy, Godou couldn't help but grumble.
But even that famous line 'If there's no bread, let them eat cake'[1H 4] has been adapted for creative use by
descendants......
"The banter stops here. To encounter means to fight. Let us compare the martial strength of one and thee."
Athena declared with her elegant voice.
With this as a signal, the giant concrete snake charged towards the far smaller Godou.
Seemed like it was preparing to crush him under that huge body.
Even as a godslayer, if he was crushed by something that heavy, it would be impossible to revive himself.
Godou hastily ran away.
If he didn't draw it soon to fight this, then he was going to die here. The golden sword—one which only the [Warrior]
incarnation holds; a weapon capable of slaying gods.
"Snake—is the symbol of your strength, or one should say your nature."
Godou began to softly chant his spell words.
This was the sword, the godslaying sword of wisdom.
"You were always a goddess related to snakes. As well as owls—with deep ties to birds."
"Oh? Kusanagi Godou, thou hast investigated one's origin?"
"Only because I have need for it. Right now, I already have around eighty, ninety percent understanding of just what kind
of god you are; to explain your key aspect, that would be the [Serpent]."
Nonstop flashing.
Points of golden light bloomed and surrounded Godou, flickering continuously like the stars in the sky.
"To speak of snakes implied Medusa, as Athena and Medusa were once the same goddess. These two goddesses of a
foreign land—spreading from North Africa and into Greece."
Driven by Athena, the giant snake rolled up the lush grass and dirt around the area, then hurled towards Godou
altogether.
The slithering snake seemed like a river flowing across the earth.
"Tracing back to source, you are the snake monster—no, the snake goddess. Furthermore, Athena's mother from Greek
Mythology, the goddess of wisdom Metis, that goddess is you."
Just as Godou was about to be crushed, the giant snake halted its advance.
It didn't stop by itself.
Instead, the golden light that surrounded Godou blocked the body of the giant snake, then forced it back.
Any snake scale that touched the light was cut apart like it had run into a razor sharp edge.
"Such is the spell word of the sword!? The weapon just now!"
"You are not a goddess of Greece. Born of North Africa, worshiped as the earth goddess by all of the Mediterranean. With
numerous names and appearances. Metis, Medusa, Neite, Anata, Atana, Atona, Asherat...... they are all copies of she
who calls herself Athena, your sisters in other terms."
Finally, Godou pulled out the [Sword] in full.
At the moment of unsheathing, a thread of light flashed out from the sword, severing Athena's giant concrete snake in two
within a blink.
The gravel and sand that had made up half the snake all fell to the ground with a thunderous sound.
Athena's light body slowly descended.
"How distasteful, Kusanagi Godou! Thou darest threaten one with [Sword]! Dost not make one remember such forbidden
pasts!"
Contrary to her perfect landing, Athena's countenance was one of great anger.
Verethragna's tenth incarnation, the [Warrior].
The fearsome might of this incarnation, the only one capable of using [Sword], was finally revealed to Athena.
"You, plus the predecessor of Isis of Egypt and Ishtar of Babylon, are all descendants of the mother goddess. You are not
merely the goddess of earth, but also the dark god of the netherworld, as well as the goddess of heavenly wisdom."[1H 5]
Every sentence Godou spoke became spell-words, which soon dissolved into the golden radiance.
The light formed into a sharp blade, one capable of cutting the goddess.
Due to her intense anger, Athena's beauty no longer showed the carefree demeanor she once had.
"Ever accompanied by three personalities, so became the goddess of trinity—this is Athena's character. The war god's
character is but an extension added over the changing eras, managing death of the underworld from the greatest
disasters, connecting with war to become a god of conflict, all perfectly reasonable."
"Thou art too garrulous!"
Arrows and a longbow suddenly appeared within Athena's hands.
Pulling the bowstring tight, she released the arrow. As expected of a war god, the arrow shot straight for Godou's
forehead.
But with a flash of the [Sword], the arrow was parried.
"Then, the key to your rebirth as trinity is the [Serpent]!"
"Speakest no more! One's past shall not be tarnished by youths as thee!"
This time, four arrows appeared in Athena's right hand.
Readying all four on the longbow, she simultaneously shot them out.
The seemingly odd but extremely powerful archery.
Yet these arrows were all deflected by the [Sword], scattering across the ground.
"Though [Cows], [Sheep], and [Pigs] have all symbolized the harvest grounds. In truth, you are also the cow incarnated
earth goddess—except your character is the [Serpent]; that, is the most ancient key of Athena."
Even now, Godou continued to chant as infinite light emanated from him.
Once the traits of the opposing god were fully realized by him, the [Warrior] incarnation would unravel its true strength.
Transforming spell-words into a golden radiance, the power of the [Sword] which can cut the flesh of gods and their divine
powers.
This was his greatest trump card for attack and defense.
"In the end, you are not only the goddess who holds the grace of earth but also the birth of life, growth, maturity, aging,
finally death, the same as the four seasons. To take birth and grow in spring, to relish in summer, to harvest in autumn, to
wither in winter."
Athena grew anxious from this and initiated her stance, swinging forth her held blade.
Despite being injured by the [Sword]'s radiance, she continued to bravely close the distance.
And her strong and sharp cleave......
Was easily evaded by Godou.
Before he realized it, he had already seen through the god's movements; this was also a power of the [Warrior] form.
"Yet the people of the ancient world did not all receive the blessing of the earth. Due to natural disasters and other
unusual phenomenons, more than half of the harvest would be lost—thus the mother goddess gave not only blessings,
but also plundered lives during wintertime and brought disasters during ill moods as a harmful deity. Without this, it
wouldn't make sense."
Godou grasped the [Sword] in hand and swung towards Athena.
The light flashed once, twice, thrice, and continued.
"O......"
To evade the cutting spell-words, Athena was forced to step back.
"Thus it was the [Serpent], through several shedding of skins, cycling nonstop between hibernation and awakening, which
became the creature representing the cycle of death and rebirth, of the revolving seasons. Compared to the [Cow] of
harvest and compassion, it was the snake, with both the grace of life and scourge of death, that was truly worthy of a
god."
To people of ancient times, it was extremely rare to find a creature with both the eccentricity and the mysteriousness of
the snake.
Casting aside its outer appearance through continued shedding of its skin, hibernating for prolonged periods during the
winter, followed by awakening during spring as though reviving from death.
Easily bridging the gap between winter and spring, it was truly an immortal god.
Winter—the god that brought death, but also the god of the wilderness and the underworld.
Such was the relation between Athena and the [Serpent], as well as the reason why she was both the goddess of earth
and the netherworld.
Yet the netherworld imagined by the ancients always laid underneath the dark ground.
A winter world enshrouded by darkness.
Similarly, a time dominated by darkness—nighttime, was feared to be another part of the underworld, thus Athena was
also the goddess of darkness.
"Heed the power of my words, let justice reveal itself! For this incantation is powerful and eloquent. The sword of wisdom
that calls victory —Athena, how do you feel now? This sword is specially made to eliminate you. Its use will guarantee my
victory over you."
Godou chanted the spell-words as he circled around.
Having revealed his final trump card to her, just how will Athena counter?
The overwhelming situation has returned to a balanced state. But with just their own strengths, the goddess still held the
advantage; if the fierce fighting continued, she would regain the opportunity to retaliate.
"Kusanagi Godou...... one hath underestimated thee."
Athena said calmly and seriously.
As expected of the goddess of wisdom, she recovered her composure so quickly.
That couldn't be helped. There was no easy victory when fighting against a god.
"Though thou art young, immature, but still a devil king, and one who usurped power from us gods—from spell-words just
spoken, one hath understood."
Athena stared sharply at Godou.
"Verethragna! The god thee killed is Verethragna! A god of conquest, closely tied with my friend Heracles and Indra[1H
6] of the far east. In servitude to a new divine king, the [Defiant God][1H 7] that struck down the ancient gods with his
spear."
Godou suddenly shivered.
If the goddess began to stop underestimating him, then she would be a truly fearsome opponent.
......But could that be true? Could she really fight seriously with a puny human? That detail would determine victory or
defeat.
"That war god was the crusader of the ancient gods. If thee may kill Verethragna, then usage of the godslaying sword is
expected...... yet can such be all?"
Athena smiled thinly as she gazed towards Godou with her sharp sight.
"Verethragna is not only the god of victory, but also the guardian of populace and kingship, the personal guard of the
Persian God Mithra[1H 8]. Mithra is the incarnation of the sun, thus Verethragna is linked to the sun."
She saw through him.
Athena already realized the last card Godou kept.
Was this a power of the goddess of wisdom? To instantly discern even the traits of foreign gods, that had to be cheating!
This was going to get problematic.
"Though one knows not of how many powers of Verethragna thee commandest, but thou should hast an Authority of the
sun. To disperse one's darkness, the most capable shall be sunlight."
Both of Athena's eyes narrowed.
Both eyes were pitch black as though filled by darkness. They seemed to cover over everything within her vision, coldly
seeing through all of Godou.
.......Mystic eyes?
"Such a tarnished and fearsome [Sword], but thy use is too blatant. Seekest to anger one and findest weakness during
opportunity? One hath already seen through thy ploy."
Petrify.
Petrify. Petrify. Petrify. Petrify. Petrify. Petrify. Petrify.
Everything would gradually petrify, as long as it entered Athena's sight.
The ground they stood on changed into stone. The grass that swayed in the breeze and the beautiful flowers petals also
changed into stone.
The lush trees also petrified to stone, the pool full of seawater became stone as well.
Athena was now using Medusa's mystic eyes, capable of petrifying all that it sees.
"Temporary deaths, stone coffin—such was also the ancient mother's power...... O, as expected of a godslayer, thee
managest to actually survive. Spell-words must really be directly poured into thy body, truly troublesome."
Godou's legs, from his feet to his knees, have already been completely petrified.
But everything around him had already changed to stone, so his situation was good by comparison.
Athena probably wanted to convert everything within her sight to stone. To use such a power, even transforming all of
Tokyo into a stone city was a piece of cake.
Godou felt fear.
Unless he stopped this goddess, there would definitely be a tragic catastrophe.
"The mystic eyes of the [Serpent] goddess Medusa, that is the best proof of your close relationship with [Birds]."
Godou infused the [Sword] with new spell-words, accelerating the power of the Authority to cleanse petrification.
The golden sword began to dance wildly.
Wherever the light struck, the petrified objects would throw off the curse, returning to their original appearance.
"The three Gorgon Sisters, including Medusa, had not just snake hair but also golden wings on their backs. The second
sister Eurayle's name meant 'far-roaming flyer', while the youngest sister Medusa was the mother of the winged Pegasus.
[1H 9]
The portrait of Medusa had dispersed throughout the Mediterranean.
In this portrait, the goddess held snakes with both hands, while a bird perched atop the head, clearly representing the link
between snakes and birds.
"Linking you and birds were the earth and the underworld—you are a god who dominated over two worlds, while birds had
the magical power to fly between the current world and the outer realms. Our ancestors have believed in this since long
ago in ancient times. The souls of the dead will become birds who fly off into the skies, or guided by the birds into the
netherworld.
Godou's petrified legs changed back to their soft flesh.
The circulation of blood was also returned.
"To travel between the earth and the underworld, it was natural for Athena and the bird to become one. Your trait is
[Serpent]—but also [Winged Serpent]!"
"Thou seekest to injure and disgrace one, even hoping to make one lose composure. One will not be tempted by such!"
Every time Godou used the [Sword], Athena's mystic sight would grow stronger.
The petrified ground was returned to normal by the sword's golden radiance, then turned back into stone by the pitch
black mystic eyes.
As the two confronted one another, their surroundings had already repeated the cycle several times, petrifying into gray
stones before returning to the green earth.
"Originally you were a winged snake; before becoming a member of the Pantheon, you were the goddess of life and death
worshiped by the ancients. After the winged snake was desecrated by the ages, the changing attitude would become the
Heretic God Athena."
"Shut your mouth! Such ploys are meaningless!"
Although no weapons met one another, the battle was growing fiercer and fiercer.
But Godou could only stop his words as it was very hard to discover Athena's weakness. If they kept up such a battle of
attrition, the tremendous divine powers of the goddess would surely gain the advantage.
Godou had originally hoped to decide the match with a counterattack.
When confronting a stronger opponent, one should allow the enemy to attack, exhaust them, then counterattack once
they reveal their weakness. He had saved a trump card for such a decisive moment.
With the spell-words of the [Sword], he could unravel an iron-wall-like defense, granting ample odds of victory.
However, Athena had realized his plan. Therefore she used her mystic eyes to pin Godou down.
—Can't be helped. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Godou took a deep breath, preparing to expend the power of the [Sword].
"Dominion of the earth and the underworld, goddess of snakes who commands the wisdom of the heavens, doubtlessly
the greatest existence among gods. Second to none, a god among gods, mandate of the greatest authority, Queen of the
Pantheon."
The [Warrior] using the offensive and defensive [Sword] is the most powerful incarnation for battling gods.
But, its limitations were extremely severe.
The spell-words of the [Sword] may not be used indefinitely. The longer it is used, the duller the sword would become,
until it was reduced to a blunt blade; this was no different from reality.
And just as any authority of Verethragna, an incarnation cannot be used continuously.
Without a day for recovery, use of the same incarnation again was impossible; as long as this condition stood, Godou
could not rely on brute force to overpower the enemy.
"Once, you were a woman who held dominance over the ancient command, commanding the humans in the name of the
gods, thus the leader of the gods was also the goddess—goddess of the winged snake. But you were overthrown from the
highest throne by the martial forces of rebellious men, ending the matriarchy society."
Godou chanted, to forge and refine the strongest [Sword].
To expend all spell-words here, to inflict critical wounds upon Athena's divine power.
To pin her down and establish the way for victory.
Even the most detailed of battle plans could be disrupted by situational conditions, therefore the focus must be on
responding to changing circumstances.
"The era of the Queen had ended; the era of the King had begun. The supreme power and wisdom of the motherly
matriarch changed to that of the strict patriarch; from Zeus, the kings of gods were born."
Currently in front of his own eyes stood the former queen goddess of the Mediterranean.
Right, the former queen.
An overthrown queen forced to obey.
These spell-words that exposed Athena's past were also the sharpest sword to be used against her.
"The most ancient Athena was divided, degrading to the king of god's wife, sister, or daughter, losing all former glory;
mythology was altered as such."
"......Shut up."
Athena's mutter was overflowing with silent rage.
"Athena became the king's daughter. Metis was disgraced and robbed of her wisdom. Medusa was even degraded into a
monster. Furthermore, Hera and Aphrodite of Greek Mythology[1H 10] were also defeated mother goddesses, goddesses
who once commanded life and death similar to you."
"Thou art told to shut up! Such spell-words are filthy beyond comparison!"
Athena was angry.
That was a good sign, but she still hadn't lost her composure, so he should follow the plan and attack her once.
"The defeated mother goddess, portrayed in mythology as the winged snake, the winged serpent—which was also the
dragon. The evil dragons that stood in countless legends and myths, defeated by heroes and gods alike, were the final
form of the defeated and trampled mother goddess!"
They were not prosecuted because they were evil monsters.
But because the victors demanded legitimacy, they discredited the defeated as evil monsters, then spread the tales of
themselves vanquishing evil.
Due to this, the winged snake fell from a sacred beast and became a monster; the traits of the mother goddess were
fundamentally denied. Thus this spell-word would become the mighty [Sword], capable of rending even Athena.
Golden radiance gathered in Godou's right hand.
Godou compressed the light into a longsword; with a brilliant glow spreading from him, he advanced towards Athena.
Readied to stop this sword was Athena's pitch black scythe.
A scythe of the death god that absorbed all light into its razor darkness.
Between the sword of light and the scythe of darkness, Godou and Athena finally clashed with ferocity.
Part 3
The golden sword clashed with the pitch-black scythe.
At the same time, the darkness continued to spread from Athena.
—Cold.
The temperature dropped as the darkness expanded.
Frost that felt like it cut through skin, as though winter had suddenly arrived.
"One shall not be struck by thee. One may be immortal, but cannot endure thy attacks that sever the source of divinity,
thus one must defeat thee with forbidden darkness!"
Athena injected her power into the wrist that held the pitch-black scythe.
To fully repulse the golden sword, she was also expending her full power.
Before he realized it, the spreading darkness had covered the entire sky, extinguishing the light from the moon and the
stars, and the entire surrounding was plunged into a chaotic darkness.
Other than the golden sword, not a single ray of light could pierce this darkness.
Despite this, Godou's eyes could still see perfectly through this abyssal darkness—he was really surprised.
The flowers around him withered within an instant.
The trees also lost their verdancy.
Greenery of all sizes began to wither one after another. Fruits turned to dust in moments. Branches also withered,
shrinking until they looked like dry sticks.
Even the sound of insects vanished from the night.
—This was [Death].
Wielding the divine power that commanded death and demise, Athena injected her most dangerous powers into her
scythe.
"One summons the winter, master of life and death, emissary of the icy netherworld, the shrewdly procuring queen. One
commands. Kusanagi Godou, become the dead king, decompose into a corpse!"
Athena said as she drove back the golden sword with her scythe.
Her spell-words entered through Godou's ears and began to invade his body, which slowly grew cold.
—Is this a joke?
I can't be defeated here!
Maintaining his stance to counter the scythe, Godou tried to imagine the next scene.
He had planned to strike Athena down, but was blocked by her black scythe, yet the black scythe was also a part of
Athena. To put it that way, could the [Sword] still cut everything?
This was one created to be only effective against Athena—a [Sword] that could defeat and surely kill Athena!
Cut.
Godou cut through both the black scythe and Athena at once.
The divine power that composed the goddess transferred the feelings over directly through the edge of the spell-words.
Earth, darkness, wisdom, snakes, birds, cows, queen, wife, fearsome woman, reborn woman, immortality—
Godou cleaved down with all his might towards everything she had.
At the same time, Godou was also inflicted by the [Death] spell-words.
He wasn't sure how long he lost consciousness.
Either several seconds, or several minutes, but by the time Godou realized, both he and Athena laid on the ground.
Godou pressed all his strength into his limbs, struggling desperately to stand back up.
Although they both fell at once, Athena wouldn't be defeated so easily; as the one who attacked her, he knew that better
than anyone.
Then, Athena slowly rose back up.
Not a trace of a wound remained on her body, but the damage inflicted within her shouldn't recover as quickly.
"As expected, winning isn't so easy, but it would have been great if I had just won like that."
"Nonsense. To call one the snake goddess hath thee; no matter how wounded, neither snakes nor woman will die. Even if
dead, they shall be reborn."
Snakes who shed skin to be reborn. Women who wouldn't die even with profound menstrual blood loss.
Both were representations of immortality.
But even though her words sounded fine, Athena's countenance grew very pale.
Yet at the same time, Godou had also lost much vitality due to the words of death. Though there were no injuries, he felt
that his life force had been significantly reduced.
The result was that they both continued to confront one another in critical status.
"With this, thy [Sword] can be used no more; one is certain of this."
This troublesome fact was exposed by Athena.
She wasn't wrong. The golden [Sword] had already disappeared after expending its full power.
Godou no longer had any weapon capable of both attack and defense.
"In other words, thou now wishest to use the power of the sun...... amongst the incarnations of Verethragna, the one
closest in origin to the sun was the [Stallion]."
His own combat power already grasped by his opponent; the goddess of wisdom was truly a difficult opponent to fight.
Godou couldn't help but want to sigh.
But he didn't even have time for that.
Athena pressed in silently, striking once again with her black scythe.
Godou barely managed to evade.
Followed by a second swing.
Cutting through the skin of his shoulders.
A third attack.
His ankles were almost severed.
Despite losing the power of the sword, he was still in the [Warrior] incarnation; it had kept some power, and was able to
grasp Athena's intentions, as well as predict her next course of action.
Therefore he could at least evade the fatal strikes.
—But if he kept defending, he would eventually be defeated.
He could not cope with her offensive pressure; therefore she need not bother with defense, since there was no worry of
the opponent retaliating. Then, to desperately attack the opponent, forcing him into catastrophe was enough.
The scythe cleaved, slashed, and attacked relentlessly.
Evade. Duck. Dodge.
Against Athena's endless attacks, Godou could only continue to evade.
"What's wrong, Kusanagi Godou. Why dost thee not use the power of the [Stallion]? Is it not the only weapon capable of
defeating one?"
Athena mocked with a voice filled with ridicule.
After pointing things out so clearly, why would I use that to fight you? You must have readied countermeasures already.
Godou cursed in his mind as he desperately sought for a way to victory.
If he continued his melee fight against Athena, there wouldn't be even a chance of winning.
Godou completely understood this point.
If it were baseball or indoor soccer, maybe there were still some chances of winning. But Kusanagi Godou didn't have a
trace of martial background; there was no way he could defeat her through strength alone.
At this time, he really wished that reliable partner of his could appear right now to act as his shield.
She would be wielding her lion-like magic sword, wearing a red-and-black outfit, and storm in with grandeur.
But she wasn't here right now.
With such a performance opportunity, how could such an egotistical person not appear?
Could it be that she couldn't find him and Athena? No, she wasn't that stupid. Godou only wished that the reason why she
didn't appear was the reason he thought of.
......As Godou still pondered, Athena's scythe swung in right before his eyes.
Godou hastily jumped back and managed to protect his vitals.
But he couldn't completely evade it.
His chest was struck, spraying blood into the air; although it wasn't a fatal injury, the wound was still very deep.
—Godou was immediately convinced of one thing.
He was already in such a crisis, yet she still didn't come out to help.
In other words, his partner thought of the same thing as him and was waiting for an opportunity to attack. As long as he
endured through this, there would be a chance to win......!
"Surprising thou managest to evade! Feebly clinging to life is an ugly sight, Kusanagi Godou!"
The unstopping scythe assault forced Godou to dodge by rolling on the ground.
His entire body was covered with wounds.
Despite this, he still managed to guard his vitals.
With his entire body stained by blood and soil, he rolled along the ground; although it looked shameful, it was enough as
long as it kept him from dying.
Godou finally stopped fleeing.
He stood up on trembling legs.
Convinced of his beliefs, Godou decided to gamble on it: Erica would definitely take some action that he could look
forward to!
"Just as you said, I still have the incarnation that represented the sun."
Godou said as he pointed towards the eastern skies.
He imagined a white stallion under the brilliance of the sun, its majestic body glowing with pure white light.
"For victory, come before me! Immortal sun, please grant me the shining steed. The divine horse of glory, bringing forth
the light wheel that symbolizes the lord!"
The third incarnation of Verethragna, the [White Stallion].
Since ancient times, the [Stallion] kept a close relationship with the sun god.
The sun god that roamed from east to west atop a chariot—this was a common description passed down in numerous
civilizations. The Orient, India, Scandinavia, China, and Babylon were no exceptions.
Apollo[1H 11] of Greece was also like this.
Similar to him was the Persian god of light Mithra, mythologies spread far and wide by the people.
For Verethragna's white stallion incarnation that once served Mithra, even carrying the sun was natural!
"O—it came indeed, that annoying horse."
Athena muttered towards the east.
That was right. Even though the darkness had blocked out all light, the eastern skies began to burn.
The sun was rising.
The dawning light dyed the eastern skies red.
It was obviously still midnight, five hours short of sunrise.
But the current skies grew very bright.
This was the incarnation of the [White Stallion], able to summon the power of the sun.
"Honestly, this incarnation is the hardest to use, but you've gone too far this time, so I managed to call it—because this in
an incarnation that can only be used against a [Sinner who inflicted suffering upon the people]."
The Athena who created the dark world managed to satisfy this condition.
......To use himself as the target, he always felt that the summoning would succeed. But this time, he should ignore that for
once.
"See this, Athena! Let's see you taste the burning flames of the sun that vanquishes darkness!"
It was either an arrow of light or a spear of the sun god that descended from the skies.
An area spreading out dozens of meters around Athena was engulfed by the white light.
The holy fire that consumed sinners.
From the faraway eastern horizon, searing fire descended upon the ground.
"Wowowowowowowowowo!!"
Even those stronger than Athena could only cry out in anguish.
The sun god that replaced the underworld lords and his flames that expelled the night were the nemesis of this goddess.
But......
"Hahahahaha! Dost not underestimate me, Kusanagi Godou! One hath made it perfectly clear. One hath long known thy
final card! This is merely thy dying struggle."
Athena's surroundings were protected by a black enchantment.
An immensely powerful black barrier capable of severing all light.
It warded off the white flames. To prepare for this move, she had probably been gathering the divine power of darkness
this entire time, and then waited for just the right time to use it.
If Athena protected herself with this until the fire burned out......
Godou no longer had any incarnation capable of defeating the mother goddess of darkness, and once the flames died out,
the [White Stallion] incarnation will lift, leaving Kusanagi Godou without a single authority.
But Godou shook his head.
"You're wrong; the one who underestimated others is you. Although you didn't underestimate me, but you did disregard—
us humans."
A beam of light soared towards Godou from the other side of the darkness.
A beam of silver light.
The brilliant silver light—it was a cold light, like that of a sword's edge.
Cuore di Leone, the lion sword wielded by the girl that stood as Godou's partner.
The silver sword buried itself into the ground before Godou.
"When we fought, did you forget Erica's existence? It would be my loss if she wasn't here, but unfortunately, things didn't
turn out that way."
Godou pulled out Cuore di Leone.
"Athena, you're far too foolish! That person's sword is specially forged. It contains the spell-words of despair, power even
to defeat the gods. Normally, you can probably completely guard against it; but what will happen now, while you're
defending against the sun with all your strength?"
The white flames were blocked by the barrier of darkness, unable to reach the pure body of the goddess.
But, Athena's countenance revealed her anxiety.
—If Erica had rushed in when Athena's scythe pushed Godou into a corner, Athena would naturally become aware of
Cuore di Leone's presence, and would alter her actions as appropriate.
So despite watching Godou fall to desperate straits, Erica did not reveal herself to rescue him.
Because Godou realized Erica's plan, he gambled everything on this attempt.
Everything had been for this opportunity to let Cuore di Leone become his new trump card.
"Though, this cooperative fight wasn't preplanned. Thankfully, it worked; that girl Erica really knows how to calculate the
best time to appear."
To toss over her beloved sword by guessing through this darkness, it was as expected of his partner.
Godou slowly approached Athena.
But if he attacked directly, he would be burnt himself.
Could he wait until the flames burned out?
Just as he thought over this, Cuore di Leone changed to the form of a javelin, probably because Erica had used her
magic.
Of course, if he used a thrown attack, then he wouldn't need to close the distance.
Such caring support made Godou smile.
"This is the last hit; take this, Athena!"
He threw with all his strength, hurling the javelin out.
The Cuore di Leone that had taken javelin form dissolved into a silver meteor, piercing through Athena's chest.
Both the goddess and the silver javelin were immolated by the flames.
It didn't matter.
That sword was forged from indestructible steel. Even after melting in the fire, it would still resurrect like a phoenix.
"Kusanagi Godou, thou would sneak attack Defiant God Athena! Damn thee, to own a title as hateful as devil king, one
never guessed thou art so contemptible!"
"Stop blaming others! It's because you underestimated humanity that brought about your own demise!"
After been hit by the silver strike and falling to her knees, Athena was swallowed by the white flames.
Part 4
After several minutes, the white flames finally burned out, and the dawning light to the east also vanished.
The black night returned.
Yes, countless streetlights now illuminated the roads and streets, and light from the skyscrapers leaked out from the
windows—everything had returned to that old semi-darkness.
Godou let go of the breath he held and stared into the night sky.
The half-moon and numerous stars twinkled in their light.
Even if he ignored his real feelings, he still couldn't claim Tokyo's night sky to be beautiful. Maybe tens of years had made
him used to it, but the current feel wasn't bad either.
Nevertheless, the duel had ended.
First he should hurry home and take a shower, then sleep in relaxation. Taking care of the aftermath could wait for later.
"How was it Godou? That fight just now, I think receiving the Best Supporting Actress Award won't be an exaggeration."
Two girls walked into the once fierce battlefield.
One was a graceful blonde Italian, while the other was a Japanese who wore a miko outfit and looked very serious for
some reason.
"If I could manage it, you can have however many awards you want, even an award ceremony is fine."
Godou replied as he sat down cross-legged on the wilted grass.
Even he was exhausted.
But, although his body should be injured all over and wracked by pain, he felt none of it, and even the serious wound on
his chest had begun to heal. The recovery ability of a godslayer's body was still inhumanly high.
However......
The catastrophe in this garden, he had caused half of it.
Just how many people could still recognize this as the Hamarikyu Gardens?
He wasn't sure when, but a massive crater had appeared on the ground.
The pine forest that remained since the Edo period, the numerous kinds of colorful flowers in the gardens, they were all
ruined by the fight between him and Athena.
—Godou reflected deeply; he had gone too far again.
"So, how should we deal with this troublesome goddess? I think I should hurry and give her a final blow."
"......I second that. If we leave Athena like this, she will definitely become the source of more disaster one day, so we
should naturally take preventative measures."
Erica suggested that as if she was taunting. Although Yuri looked like it was hard for her to express it, she nevertheless
agreed.
The one they stared at was an Athena who looked like a little girl that sat on the ground after throwing a tantrum.
Maybe it was because she was burned by the flames of the [White Stallion], or maybe it was because she had expended
too much divine power, but the mother goddess of darkness had shrunk, returning to the little girl look she had several
hours ago.
She was truly a goddess with the divine trait of immortality. Even though she was just consumed by flames, she had
already resurrected.
Of course, even Godou doubted the kind of attack just then could have completely killed her.
Although she was already deprived of her combat ability, she still had a fearsome vitality.
"Mariya-san, what you just spoke of, was that from your usual power? Through your intuition as a miko, or some similar
ability?"
"No, just the thought of a normal person...... for something like this, even those who aren't miko would decide that way."
Yuri's reply relieved the weight on Godou's heart.
Even though he would arrive at the same conclusion with an ill prediction, Godou nevertheless felt relieved.
"Then, let's part here...... Athena, did you hear me? These people want to finish you off; you better hurry and leave this
country."
"—Why would thee not finish one off? Slaying one would allow thee to usurp new powers, becomest an even more
powerful godslayer; why would thee abandon such a good opportunity?"
After hearing the angry words of an unimpressed Athena, Godou couldn't help but reply with a frustrated and tired voice:
"I don't want these weird powers; the ones I already have are hard enough to deal with. Besides, how could I kill someone
just because I beat them in a fight; I'm a civilized man you know."
"What?"
"I said, I'm not some god born during the Bronze or Iron Ages. It's the twenty-first century now, we don't have the habit of
taking the life of another after winning a duel; don't push those ancient practices onto me."
After suppressing Erica and Yuri's desire to interject with his sight, Godou continued:
"Although I've always won competitions, I've never thought of killing the defeated opponent. If you won't accept that, then
let's go with this: the saying goes 'the winner takes all, while the loser is obliged to obey the victor'...... can you accept
that?"
Godou asked the shrunken Athena.
The goddess held her silence for a long time before she spoke at last:
"......Very well, the defeated should obey the orders of the victor. One knows not if we shall fight again, please take care of
thyself; destiny willing, we shall meet again one day."
As Athena stood up, her silver hair swayed.
"The man who had defeated one, one shall always remember thy name—goodbye, Kusanagi Godou!"
Turning her back towards Godou and the group, Athena slowly departed.
Once she could no longer see Athena's small shadow, Erica intentionally sighed:
"Godou, you know, even if you defeat [Heretic Gods], your authorities won't increase if you don't take their lives?"
"Don't talk about killing so casually. Besides, even if we defeated those gods, they can resurrect like nothing had
happened, how can we manage that so easily?"
Godou replied seriously, refuting the simple explanation his partner offered.
To those people, resurrection and rebirth was an everyday thing, so they were all immortal monsters. With such a
blessing, he could go all out on the offensive without worrying about harming the opponent.
"Even though you say that, you never actually considered killing her right? Eh, I originally planned to help Godou quickly
become independent, but if this keeps up; our future doesn't look very bright."
"I don't want to become any more of a monster, so don't make decisions for me with such an uncaring attitude...... right, is
Mariya-san alright? She still looks really weak."
Godou asked about Yuri who was still staring at him with cold eyes.
When he left, she was still very gentle; why was she like a mine that was about to explode now?
She must not be feeling well. That was natural, since he had asked too much of her earlier.
Godou focused his sight on Yuri's countenance.
"My body really doesn't have any problems; I'm really grateful that Kusanagi-san was able to come save me just then."
A chilly tone.
Behind her polite words laid a cold expression.
......Was she really angry? Then he should hurry and apologize; Godou continuously pondered over how he might defend
himself. Although it was really shameful, but it was also a desperate matter of survival.
"Mariya-san, I'm really sorry for causing you so much trouble over this incident."
Godou bowed his head, realizing that even his waist had bent over.
What a disaster.
He wasn't sure if the gesture was enough. Would he still get scolded? He felt extremely uneasy about it. But Yuri didn't
care about this at all; instead she began to berate him over something totally unexpected.
"No, I don't mind about that; it's because of Kusanagi-san that I met such extreme circumstances, but you also saved me,
so I don't mind. Aside from that, there is something else I would like to ask you."
She revealed a dark smile just like several hours ago.
For it to reveal itself on Yuri's beautiful face yet again...... is really frightening.
"You are a true devil king—one who wields the authority of a real godslayer. But, these powers aren't for you to do
whatever you want with. What do you think over this?"
"Uhh...... about this...... I think you're completely right."
"Then, why don't you watch your surroundings more! These gardens are ruined, and just how do you plan to take care of
what happened over there?"
Yuri pointed sternly towards what was in front of them.
Godou glanced over the distant view and froze as he saw the tragic appearance in the night sky.
"Uhhh......"
The rooftops of several skyscrapers that reached into the heavens—
Two-thirds of those roofs had been sliced off, completely gone just like butter sticks that were cut by a knife.
Furthermore, the same happened to the elevated highways of the Capital Expressway.
Entire sections of the road were missing, just like icicles melted by a blowtorch, entire road portions had vanished without
a sight.
The flames of the [White Stallion] that descended from the heavens must have caused this.
Because of the ultra-high temperature, the destroyed highway had the appearance of being melted near the edges; but
this wasn't candy or cream or ice, but reinforced concrete.
"If it's like that, they should be able to just repair the melted sections right?"
"Who knows? Even if it can be, it'll be extremely difficult; just building construction scaffolding on top of those skyscrapers
will be problematic enough."
Erica and Godou discussed as though they were casually chatting.
The former didn't see this as that serious of a problem, while the latter only chose this tone of talking to escape reality.
"Didn't I tell you this morning? You don't watch your surroundings enough; it hasn't even been a day yet and you still
managed to do this."
As the only person present with common sense and moral integrity, Yuri coldly spoke out:
"And you're too low, too dirty, a complete pervert! For someone as indecent, lascivious, and imprudent as you to get the
power of the devil king, I doubt this world will last much longer! I really misjudged you; sure, I thought at the time that you
were a reliable and honest man, but I was being too naive. Talk about a complete disappointment."
"That, Mariya-san...... what low, indecent stuff; that doesn't seem right—"
Faced with this strangely agitated miko before him, Godou timidly responded.
Yet a razor-sharp glare cut him off.
"Really, Kusanagi-san, you've already forgotten what you were doing this quickly? Erica-san is Italian so I won't speak of
it, but you're a Japanese man; how could you do something so low, so dirty, you should properly reflect just what shame
is!"
"Huh? What do you mean? I, did I do something strange?"
"Did you seriously forget? Such a passionate—eh, that warm k-kiss, to actually do something so shameless!"
Now, Godou finally understand the reason why Yuri was so angry.
But he was also very troubled at the same time.
He wasn't good at explaining himself, and it would be very hard to clarify that it was a magic necessary to defeat Athena; it
would be best to leave this to his more charismatic partner.
He begged Erica with his eyes, before he realized too late that this was like digging his own grave.
"Hehe, so Yuri didn't like that move. You really are late to mature...... At the beginning, Godou didn't feel much
differently~~"
What was she saying, 'at the beginning' was completely unnecessary!
"Since ancient times, wasn't a girl's kiss the best blessing for departing brave warriors? So I gave him strength this way.
Godou was shy at first, but now, he couldn't even fight anymore unless I did this—it's really worrisome."
As he listened to Erica's explanation, Godou realized what utter despair tasted like.
Although it wasn't really a lie, but the malicious explanation completely twisted the facts and deliberately hid the truth.
"No, it's not like that, Mariya-san, it's actually......"
"If it's an excuse, then that won't be necessary; I already understand what's going on."
"By understand you mean—"
"Being tempted by Erica-san like that, Kusanagi-san must have been obedient every time. Right? I understand these
things very well, since Kusanagi-san is also a man; as long as your lover coaxes you, you'd do her every bidding."
No explanation would be accepted.
Yuri smiled as she said these words, her expression beautiful yet frigid, accompanied by a cold emotionless expression.
"It's already late tonight, so I won't say any more, but please visit Nanao Shrine tomorrow. I won't need to mind the time
then, so I'll properly educate you tomorrow—because I need to seriously teach you these things, so you better come
alone. Definitely do not bring your lover there."
She gave him a heartless verdict with her steely tone.
Yielding to the overwhelming pressure, Godou couldn't help but agree involuntarily.
Epilogue
The battle with Athena took place during the night hours of Saturday morning.
Just like any normal company, Kusanagi Godou's Jounan Academy was also having an off day for today. It was originally
going to be a restful and relaxing day, spent to recover his battle wounds—a leisure day like that.
But he had received a fierce scolding during the meeting between him and Mariya Yuri, to the point that both his mind and
body felt bared to the bones.
Still he tried his best.
He was a righteous person who would do his best to peacefully resolve problems regardless of how difficult they were.
Furthermore, what he did with Erica last night was indispensable for seizing the upper hand during his fight.
These were all sincerely explained to the best of his abilities.
But Yuri's response was still cold.
"So that's how, that's how it was. But from Kusanagi-san's point of view, as long as these efforts were displayed through
the results; even if you say this is another effort—"
It still hadn't finished.
"Is that how....... Kusanagi-san, is this excuse your idea? Or is it Erica's? Don't you feel it's rather ridiculous? Such
unrealistic, convenient reasons should be moderated at least. Don't think that some nonsense excuse could fool me."
Not a single way out was offered.
The result was three continuous hours of cold, nonstop scolding; he really learned his lesson in full this time.
Face to face with the beautiful yet harsh girl, alone with just the two of them, the entire time had felt like he was sitting on
needles......
Yuri ended up being cold the entire day, her words filled with barbs.
Despite this, Godou was very thankful that she cared for him over so many little details.
Sometimes when her words ended, she would ask Godou about his body's condition.
"Are you really...... alright? Though your body is really strong and different from usual people, but isn't there still a chance
of something going wrong?...... it's hard to believe that you're already fully healed, just completely abnormal in every way,
but such a weird thing only happens because you're an absurd person like that!"
She berated him with seeming anger.
Though it wasn't very frank, but Godou knew it was because she worried over him.
Even though she was in mortal peril yesterday, she still worried over others more than herself; she really was a kind and
strong girl.
—So no matter how angry or how cold she was to him, it was all a sign of consideration to Godou.
Thinking this way, Godou bowed and apologized seriously even at the end of all the scolding.
Sometimes halfway through her speech, Yuri blushed and revealed a troubled impression: "this was a little too much......"
fidgeting somewhat in embarrassment.
This happened on Saturday.
But on the next day, Sunday, something really bad happened again.
It happened when Godou held the newspaper as he watched the news on the living room television.
Edogawa, Koto, Central, and Port districts were engulfed by the darkness for around four hours.
Regarding this, the official rhetoric was a failure of the power supply and it was still under investigation—they held a press
meeting that didn't clarify anything.
He confirmed the television and newspaper contents; every media was using this as its top headline.
But none of them reported in detail about how all lighting and ignition tools had failed to function.
It was obvious that someone was controlling the information.
History Compilation Committee.
Probably done by those people he heard about yesterday. No, definitely them.
But, just how did they manage this impossibly hard task? Just as Godou thought this over—
Just then, Shizuka opened the glass door and entered the living room.
For some reason, his little sister's eyes were filled with a ferocious murderous intent, and he felt really strange.
"What's wrong? In a bad mood?"
"Nothing—I just met Mariya-senpai during the tea ceremony club's activities."
What about it?
Godou continued to read the paper as he pretended to listen; not like it would be anything important.
"Senpai told me to tell onii-chan that she was too rude yesterday and was really apologetic."
Godou gave a perfunctory reply as he leisurely read the paper.
But the situation was turning in a completely unexpected direction.
"Onii-chan met senpai yesterday as well? I remember that you arranged to meet on Friday over the phone. Then you
secretly met again yesterday...... I hope Onii-chan can spill everything for me now."
Shizuka suddenly said.
"Just what kind of relationship do you have with Mariya-senpai? Isn't it abnormal to visit a girl two days in a row? Doesn't
feel like a normal friendship...... so, Onii-chan, if your conscience is clear, will you swear to god? How about it? Do you
dare?"
Stubborn, and too eager to find the source.
Plus the thoughts about Erica halfway through, things were getting worse and worse.
"Don't tell me, Onii-chan is playing both at once? I really guessed it! I always worried that someday you'd become the
same as grandpa. Just as I expected! Ever since you let go of the baseball you've always trained in, I had thought
something was wrong. Maybe, you had let go of your sport activities because of these immoral habits. Onii-chan, I thought
you were better than this!"
Little sis, why do you always speculate your brother to be so low?
Shizuka completely didn't understand Godou's rebuttal.
"Hmph! I can tell if you're lying or not just by watching your face. Onii-chan has that expression of concealing things that
he doesn't dare explain."
She was spot on.
Although he didn't do anything regrettable, this wasn't something that he should explain to just anyone.
As a result, Godou fell into the predicament of having to avoid his sister.
Illustrator Afterword.
Chapter 1
1. Jump up↑ House of Savoy: Casa Savoia in Italian, and ruled in Italy before the Republicans overthrew royalty.
2. Jump up↑ Grand Master: a typical title given to the head of a Knightly Order.
3. Jump up↑ Capital of Lilies: the direct translation of Yuri no To.
4. Jump up↑ Copper Black Cross: my translation of Shakudo Kurojuji.
5. Jump up↑ Baphomet: a deity that the Knights Templar used to worship. As for who the Knights Templar are, they
were a Crusader order endorsed in the 12th century by the Catholic Church. However, their last leader, Jacques
de Molay, was burnt at stake by King Philippe IV le Bel of France; de Molay's curse is actually pretty well known.
(This part is untrue: Baphomet was thought to be a pagan god, thus it would be Heresy for an ordained Crusader
order to worship him. The myth of Knights Templar worshiping Baphomet was an accusation leveled against the
Knights Templar, using relics they plundered as 'evidence', when Phillip IV of France sought to bring their downfall
over numerous reasons, a foremost being debt evasion as he owed them a lot of money; historians also believe
that 'Baphomet' was actually a typo of the Islam prophet Muhammad, which was often latinized to 'Mahomet'.
- Aorii)
6. Jump up↑ Gorgoneion: a pendant in Ancient Greece showing the Gorgon's head.
7. Jump up↑ Diavolo Rosso: Dark Red Devil in Italian. I chose to use that term even if it's maybe not in the raws.
8. Jump up↑ Nuadha: or Nuada Airgetlám, the first king of the Tuatha Dé Danann.
Chapter 2
1. Jump up↑ Hill near the famous Colosseum: Also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre, it stands east of the
Roman Forum. Used for gladiatorial fights, it also staged mock naval battles and a place to execute/crucify
criminals. Do not confuse with the Circus Maximus.
2. Jump up↑ Seven Hills of Rome: For the interested, they are the Aventine, Caelian, Capitoline, Esquiline,
Palatine, Quirinal and Viminal.
3. Jump up↑ Emperor's Palace: Quite a few of them, actually. Not just Augustus, but Tiberius and Domitian too.
4. Jump up↑ Augustus' Palace: The text has Octavian, but he only built the palace after they crowned him king and
gave him the name Augustus. So there.
5. Jump up↑ Mille Lingua: 'A Thousand Languages' in Italian (well Latin, but 'Lingua' sound better than 'Lingue').
The text didn't have it in Italian but Kira0802 did, and it sounds better like this, I guess.
6. Jump up↑ Diavolo Rosso: 'Dark Red Devil' in Italian. For explanation, see previous statement.
7. Jump up↑ Cuore di Leone: 'The heart of the lion' in Italian. The text did give in the Italian this time.
8. Jump up↑ Hermes: As someone noted before, the Roman equivalent should be Mercury (Hermes is the Greek
name). But there is little difference in them, so I left it as is. For your information, Hermes was the messenger of
the gods and the guide to the underworld. He is well known for his winged sandals, winged hat and staff, which let
the user fly, like in the legend of Perseus and Medusa.
9. Jump up↑ Japanese Middle School: That is, Years 7-10, or Secondary 1 to 4.
10. Jump up↑ Aethereal: That is, those of the sky. It comes from the Germanic 'aesir', meaning air, heaven.
11. Jump up↑ Chthonic: That is, those of the earth. It comes from the Greek 'cthos', meaning caves, underground.
12. Jump up↑ Eloi, Eloi, Lama Sabachthani!: The words of Christ as he hung on the cross. Supposedly Hebrew
(though it is meant to be Aramaic), it translates somewhat to 'My Lord, My Lord; Why hast thou forsaken me?' –
which is exactly what she says now.
13. Jump up↑ David's Stones: Stones, or more specifically slings, were one of the earliest ranged weapon
developed. A thrown stone could shatter shields, pierce armour, penetrate flesh, and break bones and skulls.
They appear even on Egyptian and Babylonian murals, a testament to their age. Some races were well known for
the sling as a weapon. Cretans, Rhodians, Balearic Islanders, were all famous, and employed be many empires –
Greek, Carthaginian, Roman – as mercenaries. So, don't underestimate it!"
14. Jump up↑ Yokotsuna Master: The highest rank achievable in sumo wrestling
15. Jump up↑ Man-made Lake: The lake was actually built by Nero, and stood in front of a building that Nero also
built, the Domus Aurea (68 AD). [Which also means that the author was incorrect – it wasn't a ruin then.] It was
quickly torn down by succeeding emperors, embarrassed about their family history. A mere eight years later (74
AD), Vespasian had the lake filled in, and began construction of the Colosseum.
16. Jump up↑ Castella Sforzesco: The Sforza Castle (in English) is one the biggest citadels in Europe. It now houses
several of Milan's museums and art collections.
17. Jump up↑ Cagliari: Also one of the biggest ports in the Mediterranean sea.
18. Jump up↑ Piazza del Campo: One of Europe's most beautiful medieval squares, it is known worldwide for it's
beauty and architectural integrity.
19. Jump up↑ Grimoire: Coming from the French, Basically a book on magic, a spellbook.
20. Jump up↑ Gorgon Medusa: The fact is, there are actually three Gorgons in Greek mythology: Stheno, Euryale
and Medusa. They were originally considered winged, tusked and fanged women, but later Greek tradition has
them all as beautiful women. The first two were immortal, and hence Perseus killed the last one, Medusa,
because she was the only one possible to be killed.
21. Jump up↑ Perseus: This is incorrect. Although anyone with a better understanding of Greek mythology is free to
correct me here. (No this is pretty much right; the hero Perseus did slay Medusa, and although she was the most
powerful of the Gorgon sisters she was the only mortal; however, Perseus killed her not because of that, but
because Athena demanded it so after being angered when Medusa slept with Poseidon in one of her temples and
thus desecrated it [Athena was known as 'Virgin Athena' after all] -- Aorii)
22. Jump up↑ Tripartite Goddesses: The author is referring to Demeter, Persephone and Hecate, the three forms of
a great mother goddess who may have been Rhea or Gaia.
Chapter 3
1. Jump up↑ Nanano Shrine: 七 雄 神 社 ; literally ‘shrine of the seven heroes'.
2. Jump up↑ Ante-hall: The technical term is 前 殿 , and should technically be called the pronaos, but Asian temple
architecture is hard to describe in western terms. It is the first, smaller hall (usually with statues or pictures of
guardians of shrines and religion) before one enters the great hall itself.
3. Jump up↑ Kosode, Furisode, Hakama: Look it up, the explanation's sort of long
winded: Kosode, Furisode, Hakama
4. Jump up↑ Miko: Miko are usually Japanese shrine maidens. However, in this story the term also refers to a type
of magic-user, and not all of those magical miko are shrine-maidens. That is why we left the term as miko
whenever it shows up.
5. Jump up↑ Hime-miko: Japanese for princess-shrine maiden. It is the name of a group of a people and as with
miko, we decided to leave it as it is for now.
6. Jump up↑ Rakshasa: Wicked and unrighteous spirits that wreck havoc in the human world. Rakshasa
7. Jump up↑ Jinbocho: Well known as Tokyo's centre for used-book stores and publishing houses.
Chapter 4
1. Jump up↑ Torii: A traditional Japanese gate, marking the boundary between sacred and profane ground. This is
probably the most well known sight in a Shinto shrine.
2. Jump up↑ Period Drama: A specific type of soap opera set in the past, dramatizing family/state/etc. situations for
audience titillation. Particular popular with the aged in Japan and China.
3. Jump up↑ Nero: Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, last of the Julio-Claudians. Well known for killing
his mother, suspected for the Great Fire of Rome, an altogether unpleasant man who was known for cruelty,
sadism, drunkenness and womanising.
4. Jump up↑ Dong Zhuo: Politician and warlord of the Later Han Dynasty, he killed all those who opposed his rise to
power, eventually deposing the emperor himself. He was most well-known for the cruel tortures which he
subjected his victimes to. For example, soaking a clothed soldier in fat and setting fire to his foot, so he could
watch their facial expressions.
5. Jump up↑ Oda Nobunaga: The ultimate unifier of Japan after its Warring States Period, he killed his brother to
take on the throne, and was noted for destroying anyone (buddhist monks, protesting villagers, smaller,
subservient clients) who got in his way.
6. Jump up↑ Numidia: That is, modern Algeria.
7. Jump up↑ Famous trick before the walls of Troy: She of course refers to the Trojan horse, devised by
Odysseus to breach the seven gated city of Troy – from the inside.
8. Jump up↑ The owl of Minerva spreads its wings only with the falling of dusk: A very strange one to use here,
especially if you know the context of it. It's a Hegelian quotation, which refers to the way in which we understand
history. As he implies, our 'wisdom' – that is, the logic and progress of history – will only reveal itself at the end,
the 'dusk' of any event which we are considering. But I guess author-san wanted to sound learned.
Chapter 5
1. Jump up↑ Etruscans: ancient inhabitants of central-eastern Italy, they used to be masters of the Romans.
Eventually, the Romans rebelled from them, but also took over many of their ancient customs, like the 'Roman'
baths, their trinity of gods, augury, and of course, warfare. However, the use of infantry that fought in melee and
also carried spears was NOT Etruscan; rather, it was Samnite. The Romans got their idea of the triarii from the
Etruscan warriors, who in turn got theirs from the Greek hoplite phalanx. Ranged units, such as javelineers,
slinger and archer were almost purely that. Light infantry did exist, but their spears were for melee combat. But
hey, why spoil a good story, right?
2. Jump up↑ Javelin Combat: anyone know what he's referring to here? (Unlikely to be true, while the Knights of
Irish myth often hurled their spears, it was against mainstream knightly code during the Medieval Ages to strike
down an opposing knight with a javelin. As champions of chivalry, it is doubtful any Knight of the Round Table
would do this - Aorii)
3. Jump up↑ Metis: the Titan of prudence and wisdom in Greek Mythology.
4. Jump up↑ Gaia and Uranus: Gaia was the primordial Earth-goddess and mother of all things in Greece
mythology; Uranus, father sky, was both her son and husband (<_< ). Together they gave birth to the earliest
Titans and many of the Greek Gods.
5. Jump up↑ Athena's Birth: Zeus supposedly turned Metis into a fly and swallowed her, but Metis began to forge a
helmet and armor for her unborn child, causing Zeus great pain from inside him. Eventually his son Hephaestus,
god of artisans, struck Zeus' head with an axe or hammer. Athena was born 'from' Zeus this way, fully grown,
armed, and armored, while Zeus was none worse for the wear.
6. Jump up↑ Shiba Park: a famous park in Tokyo, built around the Buddhist Great Temple San'en-zan Zōjō-ji
7. Jump up↑ Tsukishima: an island formed of reclaimed land in Tokyo Bay
Chapter 6
1. Jump up↑ Plato: Greek Classical-era philosopher attributed with laying the foundation to western philosophy and
science.
2. Jump up↑ Timaeus: one of Plato's dialogues, involving Socrates, Timaeus of Locri, Hermocrates, and Critias.
3. Jump up↑ Herodotus: Greek Classical-Era historian, renowned as the 'Father of History'.
4. Jump up↑ Heracles: also known as Hercules, son of Zeus and the greatest of Greek Heroes
5. Jump up↑ Ba'al: actually a Semitic title meaning 'ruler' or 'god'; numerous deities (and cult gods) used this name,
but they're probably referring to the Canaanite god Hadad here.
6. Jump up↑ Canaan: ancient biblical region in the Levant; around the same area as present-day Isreal.
7. Jump up↑ Shield of Athena: Athena had integrated the severed head of Medusa into the center of her shield, the
Aegis
8. Jump up↑ El, Ogmios, Artemis: El (or Il) is the suprme good of the canaanites, father of Baal and creator of
everything, prototype of all of the creator gods of Levantine religions, including judaism ('l/el/il is also the word for
"god" in semitic languages, found in titles such as the names of some angels); Ogmios is the Celtic god of
eloquence, who could bind others through words alone and supposedly looked like Hercules; Artemis is the Greek
goddess of the hunt, wilderness, and childbirth.
9. Jump up↑ Ogoun, Tezcatlipoca: Ogoun is the god of smithing, hunting, politics, and war of Yoruba (Nigeria) and
Haitian beliefs; Tezcatlipoca is the Aztec central god of chaos, governship, temptation, beauty, war, and strife.
10. Jump up↑ Susanoo, Vishnu: Susanoo is the Japanese Shintoism god of sea and storms; Vishnu is the supreme
god of Vaishnavism branch of Hinduism.
11. Jump up↑ Hot Pot: Japanese often have hotpots (Nabe) to celebrate the completion of projects or special events
(why an Italian would do so, I have no idea!)
12. Jump up↑ Parthian & Sassanid Empire: Persian Empires of the Middle East during 247BC-224AD (Parthia) and
224AD-651AD (Sassanid), centered around modern-Iran; both often came into contention with the Roman and
later the Byzantine Empire.
13. Jump up↑ Zarathustra: also known as Zoroaster, the founder of Zoroastrianism, which once dominated the
Middle East as one of the world's greatest religions. It was later shunted aside and replaced by Islam.
Chapter 7
1. Jump up↑ Hamarikyu Gardens: a public park located at the mouth of the Sumida river, surrounded by a seawater
moat and built from what was once a Tokugawa family villa.
2. Jump up↑ Tsukiji District: tsukiji literally means 'reclaimed land', and although multiple Japanese cities have such
an area, none of them are as famous as Tokyo's.
3. Jump up↑ Marie Antoinette: Queen of France executed during the French Revolution, known for her corrupt,
selfish, and gaudy lifestyle with an inability to understand the common folk.
4. Jump up↑ Let them eat cake: famous line supposedly said by Marie Antoinette in response to those who
complained of having no bread to eat, although historians believe this to be a byproduct of dramatized journalism.
5. Jump up↑ Isis and Ishtar: Isis is the Egyptian goddess of compassion, nature, and magic, often viewed as the
ideal mother and wife, as well as a friend to the downtrodden, the sinners, and the slaves; Ishtar is the Assyrian
and Babylonian goddess of fertility, war, love, and sex, known as a fickle lover who also unleashed the Bull of
Heaven upon Gilgamesh for refusing her love in the Epic of Gilgamesh.
6. Jump up↑ Indra: King of the gods and god of storms, rainfall, and war in Hindu mythology, and associated with
Vajrapani, the chief protector of the Buddha.
7. Jump up↑ Defiant God: as Heretic God, both written as 'Disobedient God' in raws, but since heretics never refer
to themselves as heretics, Athena's use of 'Heretic' will be converted to 'Defiant'.
8. Jump up↑ Mithra: the Zoroastrian god of covenant and oath, a god of judgment and all-seeing protector of truth,
guardian of cattle, harvest, and water elements.
9. Jump up↑ Pegasus: the winged horse; according to Greek Mythology, Medusa was impregnated by Poseidon and
when the hero Perseus beheaded and killed her, Pegasus and Chrysaor, a golden-sworded giant, burst from her
body.
10. Jump up↑ Hera, Aphrodite: Hera was the sister of Zeus and goddess of women and marriage; Aphrodite was the
Greek goddess of love, pleasure, and beauty.
11. Jump up↑ Apollo: Greek god of the sun, truth and prophesy, healing and plague, and patron of the fine arts; son
of Zeus and Leto, he is one of the most important and idealized deities of Greece.
Afterword
1. Jump up↑ Saisen: money offered to kami or bodhisattvas in Japanese shrines, usually through a saisen box[1]; in
Chinese raws this is translated to money for 'prayer oil sticks', which is how they donate to temples, but I figure
saisen would work better since dear author is Japanese after all.
2. Jump up↑ Izanagi & Izanami: the creation gods of Japanese mythology; when Izanami died from childbirth,
Izanagi visited the underworld to bring her back, but she claimed to have already eaten food of the underworld
and was thus one of the dead. Unwilling to let go, Izanagi turned his comb into a torch to see her (which she had
warned again), but instead of his beautiful wife he sees a rotting body being decomposed by foul creatures.
Horrified, Izanagi ran away, abandoning his wife and sealing her in the underworld. The enraged Izanami vowed
to kill 1,000 men per day, but Izanagi retorted that he would give life to 1,500 per day, and hence the cycle of life
and death was born.
3. Jump up↑ Orpheus: legendary Greek poet, musician, and prophet who entered the underworld to rescue his wife
Eurydice.